The Painscreek Killings

Overview
Investigate an infamous cold case in the eerie, abandoned town of Painscreek. Search for evidence, connect the dots and uncover who killed Vivian Roberts. Can you expose the truth behind this town’s dark secrets?
SteamVery Positive (91%)
6,445 Steam user reviewsMetacriticNot rated
No current offer is available.
Screenshots & media
Features, requirements and screenshots describe the Steam PC version. Other stores and editions may differ.
All source screenshots (10)
Gameplay
Find The Painscreek Killings gameplay on YouTube ↗
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How to get the game
No current offers. This permanent game page remains available.
About the game
- Developer
- EQ Studios
- Publisher
- EQ Studios
- Released
- Sep 27, 2017
Description & review sources
- Investigate an infamous cold case in the eerie, abandoned town of Painscreek.
- Search for evidence, connect the dots and uncover who killed Vivian Roberts.
- Can you expose the truth behind this town’s dark secrets?
Read full description
As Janet, a young and upcoming journalist, you have been asked by your editor to investigate the mysterious abandonment of a once lively town. Based on the information released by the media about the deaths of the townspeople, you set foot into the town thinking you would find an interesting story to publish, only to uncover secrets that were meant to stay hidden forever.
Can you expose the truth behind this town’s dark secrets?
GAMEPLAY
The Painscreek Killings borrows mechanics from a walking simulator but goes beyond it by making the players think. It mimics real world investigations with logical puzzles that do not hold your hand, allow you to explore wherever your investigation lead, and a captivating story waiting to be discovered. The game encourages you to explore the surroundings carefully, collect clues and hints to help your investigation, and find evidence to expose the truth about the killings. There are no quest markers or hint systems to aid in your journey. You will be forced to think, to connect the dots and to piece things together, making you feel like a real investigator.KEY FEATURES
- Free-Roaming, Semi-Open World:
Explore wherever you want based on the clues and hints gathered during your investigation.
- Mimics Real World Investigation:
Take notes and photograph important clues. No handholding, and no quest marker or hint system is provided.
- Logical Puzzles:
Use your powers of observation and deduction to solve all that stands in your way.
- Rich and Captivating Storyline:
Uncover the conspiracies, heartaches, jealousy and hidden secrets that were meant to be buried with the abandoned town.
- Developer
- EQ Studios
- Publisher
- EQ Studios
- Released
- Sep 27, 2017
Ratings & review sources
SteamVery Positive (91%)
6,445 Steam user reviewsMetacriticNot rated
System requirements
Features, requirements and screenshots describe the Steam PC version. Other stores and editions may differ.
Windows
Minimum
Minimum:- OS *: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
- Processor: i3-2120 @3.3GHz
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 745 (or AMD equivalent)
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 11 GB available space
- Additional Notes: *Subject to change after updates
Recommended
Recommended:- OS *: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
- Processor: i5-2500 @3.3GHz
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 770 (or AMD equivalent)
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 11 GB available space
- Additional Notes: SSD for faster loading time *Subject to change after updates
macOS — not supported
The Steam PC metadata lists no support for this operating system.
Linux — not supported
The Steam PC metadata lists no support for this operating system.
Accounts, launcher & DRM
No current store offer. Check the store when an offer becomes available.
Not specified
- Launcher not supplied
- DRM not supplied
Features & game information
Features, requirements and screenshots describe the Steam PC version. Other stores and editions may differ.
Play modes
- Single-player
Steam features
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Trading Cards
- Family Sharing
Controller & mod support
- Controller support
- full
- Mod support
- Not specified
Game details
- Genres
- Adventure
- Indie
- Developer
- EQ Studios
- Publisher
- EQ Studios
- Released
- Sep 27, 2017
- Content type
- game
- Operating systems
- windows
- Achievements
- 33
All community tags
Community tag votes
- Investigation290
- Mystery282
- Detective258
- Exploration256
- Story Rich244
- Puzzle242
- Atmospheric226
- Horror207
- Walking Simulator203
- Open World193
- Supernatural191
- Adventure187
- Realistic177
- First-Person175
- 3D172
- Singleplayer166
- Thriller117
- Narration114
- Drama107
- Female Protagonist107
Languages & audio
- English*
- Japanese
- Russian
- French
- Simplified Chinese
- Traditional Chinese
- Portuguese - Brazil
- German
- Hungarian
- Korean
- Italian
- Spanish - Spain
- Polish
- Spanish - Latin America
*languages with full audio support
Related editions & add-ons
Steam purchase options; availability and pricing are confirmed on Steam.
Sources, updates & publisher notice
- CheapShark Oct 11, 2026 14:27 UTC
- Steam Spy Oct 11, 2026 15:59 UTC
- Steam Store Oct 11, 2026 15:59 UTC
- Steam reviews Oct 11, 2026 19:08 UTC
Steam Spy playtime estimates
- Average: unavailable
- Median: unavailable
Source zero values are not a reliable game-length estimate.
Community tags describe the game. Source timestamps indicate when the stored data was checked.
Publisher notice
2019 © EQ Studios. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and copyrights are the properties of their respective owners.



